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Seven deputies put on leave, two men facing charges after checkpoint shooting

Antoine Levar Graham, 34, of Mimosa Trail in Leland and Jerry Onasis Melvin, 42, of Isabelle Trail in Leland are facing a myriad of charges related to an incident at a DWI checkpoint Friday night. Courtesy photos

Published: Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 6:24 p.m.

Seven sheriff's deputies – four with Brunswick County and three with New Hanover County – are on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into an officer-involved shooting in Leland on Friday night in which two men were shot.

The deputies are Brian Medlin, Joe Cherry, John Rogers and Larry Branch with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, and deputies J. Maroldt, J. Spivey and Sgt. M. Fike, with the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, according to press releases from the agencies.

The seven were involved in a multiagency DWI checkpoint on U.S. 17 about 11:16 p.m. Friday night when officers opened fire on a vehicle.

Emily Flax, spokeswoman for the Brunswick sheriff's office, declined to give details into what precipitated the shooting or the details of the incident that resulted in the charges.

Late Saturday afternoon, Flax released the names and charges of the two men. Antoine Levar Graham, 34, of Mimosa Trail in Leland is charged with 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, one count of flee/elude arrest with motor vehicle, one count of felony conspiracy to elude, one count of possession of marijuana, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Jerry Onasis Melvin, 42, of Isabelle Trail in Leland is charged with eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, and one count of felony conspiracy to elude.

Sgt. Jerry Brewer, spokesman for the New Hanover sheriff's office, referred all questions concerning the shooting to Brunswick officials because the incident happened in their jurisdiction.

Sgt. Chris Williams with the N.C. Highway Patrol said his office was called in to handle an accident investigation after the deputies at the DWI checkpoint became involved in a pursuit with the fleeing vehicle and initiated a successful PIT maneuver – a driving technique intended to stop a chase in which a patrol car taps the bumper of a moving vehicle sending it into a spin.

Williams said that at the time of the stop, more shots were fired. But because his office is only investigating the contact between the vehicles, he did not know further details of the shooting.

<p>Seven sheriff's deputies – four with Brunswick County and three with New Hanover County – are on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into an officer-involved shooting in <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9971"><b>Leland</b></a> on Friday night in which two men were shot. </p><p>The deputies are Brian Medlin, Joe Cherry, John Rogers and Larry Branch with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, and deputies J. Maroldt, J. Spivey and Sgt. M. Fike, with the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9932"><b>New Hanover County Sheriff</b></a>'s Office, according to press releases from the agencies.</p><p>The seven were involved in a multiagency DWI checkpoint on U.S. 17 about 11:16 p.m. Friday night when officers opened fire on a vehicle. </p><p>Emily Flax, spokeswoman for the Brunswick sheriff's office, declined to give details into what precipitated the shooting or the details of the incident that resulted in the charges. </p><p>Late Saturday afternoon, Flax released the names and charges of the two men. Antoine Levar Graham, 34, of Mimosa Trail in Leland is charged with 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, one count of flee/elude arrest with motor vehicle, one count of felony conspiracy to elude, one count of possession of marijuana, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Jerry Onasis Melvin, 42, of Isabelle Trail in Leland is charged with eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, and one count of felony conspiracy to elude. </p><p>Both men were still at <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9969"><b>New Hanover Regional Medical Center</b></a> as of 6 p.m. Their conditions were not released. </p><p>Sgt. Jerry Brewer, spokesman for the New Hanover sheriff's office, referred all questions concerning the shooting to Brunswick officials because the incident happened in their jurisdiction.</p><p>Sgt. Chris Williams with the N.C. Highway Patrol said his office was called in to handle an accident investigation after the deputies at the DWI checkpoint became involved in a pursuit with the fleeing vehicle and initiated a successful PIT maneuver – a driving technique intended to stop a chase in which a patrol car taps the bumper of a moving vehicle sending it into a spin.</p><p>Williams said that at the time of the stop, more shots were fired. But because his office is only investigating the contact between the vehicles, he did not know further details of the shooting.</p><p>Check back later for more on this developing story.</p><p>FT Norton: 343-2070</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @FTNorton</p>